Trump: 'No Computer Is Safe'

Melania Trump, right, looks on as her husband President-elect Donald Trump talks to reporters during a New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(Newser)
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President-elect Donald Trump says that "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new skepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations. Trump rarely uses email or computers, despite his frequent tweeting. "You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way," Trump told reporters during his annual New Year's Eve bash. "Because I'll tell you what: No computer is safe." Even so, Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking. Trump plans to meet with intelligence officials in coming days to learn more about the allegations.

He said he wants US officials "to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge." He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion, and declared himself an expert in the area, the AP reports. "I know a lot about hacking," he said, "and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else." He added, cryptically, that he also knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation." Asked what he knows, he said: "You'll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday." Trump made the comments during the annual party at his Mar-a-Lago club. Hundreds of guests gathered in the club's grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)